CITIZENS VOICE BOB KALINOWSKI, STAFF WRITER / PUBLISHED: MAY 20, 2020

Members of the Wyoming Area “Warrior Nation” are grieving the loss of a popular and beloved 2019 graduate who died in a crash early Monday in Dallas Twp.
Dallas Twp. police said Jacob Joseph Busch, 19, of Wyoming, was a passenger in a vehicle that slammed into a tree after it lost control in the area of 570 Kunkle Road around 12:40 a.m.
Busch, a member of the school’s homecoming court in 2019, is being remembered as a well-known member of the Wyoming Area Warriors football team, having played wide receiver and defensive back.
He was currently studying criminal justice at Bloomsburg University and hoped to one day become a Pennsylvania state trooper.
“That’s all he ever wanted to do was be a state trooper,” the teen’s mother Amy Callahan, 48, said Tuesday. “That was his dream ever since he went to Camp Cadet years ago.”
Investigators said Busch was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, police said.
“It was just tragic,” Callahan said, noting her son was a back seat passenger.
Callahan said her son proudly wore No. 19 for the Warriors.
“He loved his teammates. He loved rallying the team,” she said.
Warrior Nation is now rallying around her family with an overwhelming show of support, she said.
“He was a wonderful son. He was beautiful on the inside and out. He was beloved by this community. The outreach has been amazing. Warrior Nation is really coming out for my son,” Callahan said.

Dominic DeLuca, a current Wyoming Area senior and football team captain, recalled Busch as a great teammate.
“Jake Busch was one of my receivers my freshman year to junior year. He always put a smile on my face and the whole team’s face,” recalled DeLuca, the quarterback who led the team to a state title in December.
Though he had already graduated, Busch still rooted for the team and was there to celebrate with his former teammates after games, especially the state championship, DeLuca said.
“He was part of the Wyoming Area football family. Losing a family member like this broke everyone’s heart. Everyone is devastated for what happened. We are so sad for the family,” DeLuca said.
An autopsy performed by forensic pathologist Dr. Gary Ross determined Busch died of multiple traumatic injuries. The manner of death is still under investigation by the Luzerne County Coroner’s Office.
Dallas Twp. police are investigating what led to the crash. Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis confirmed her office is also investigating, but she said she could not comment on the case.
Authorities previously said two other juveniles were injured in the crash and were taken to the hospital. Their names or updates on their conditions were not released.
Police said the vehicle was traveling toward Harveys Lake when it ran off the road and struck a tree. The occupants were heavily entrapped in the vehicle and had to be extracted by Kunkle Fire and Rescue.
Wyoming Area football coach Randy Spencer said past and current members of the program were “heartbroken” by Busch’s loss.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jake’s family and friends. Jake, in terms of being a player, he was very hard working, committed and selfless,” Spencer said. “Being part of our Warrior football program, he was a great representative and example for us and what we’re about. He’s going to be truly missed.”
On the professional level, Busch was a big fan of the New England Patriots and idolized the team’s longtime quarterback Tom Brady, his family said.
Busch was known to visit Wilkes-Barre often to pick up Angelo’s Pizza, a longtime family favorite.
Loved ones recall Busch’s love of music and say he was looking forward to attending a Motley Crue concert in Philadelphia this summer with his mother. Lyrics from the band’s hit song, “Home Sweet Home” will be printed on his funeral Mass cards, his mother said.
Family members say they will be limited to having a small, private funeral due to the COVID-19 restrictions on services, but they hope to have a big memorial service in the future to give Busch a proper farewell.
“Then all his friends and everybody could pay their respects to him,” Busch’s mother said. “I’m getting so many calls and texts from teachers, friends, neighbors and members of the community. He touched a lot of lives.”
Contact the writer:
bkalinowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2055, @cvbobkal